


Promises

by ahunmaster, TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Pirate AU [12]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, OCs - Freeform, One-Sided Attraction, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 03:26:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4548489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunmaster/pseuds/ahunmaster, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bloodshed never expected to see her again, but at least now, he can make good on his promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises

"Pull up the sails!" Bloodshed shouted.  "Nebula, keep the ship steady.  The rest of you, prepare to board.  I want anything of valuable in the cargo area before it sinks with the rest of the ship!"

Cheers answered his orders as their ship came to a stop next to the wreckage of the Navy ship that had attacked them.  Bloodshed was usually cautious about attacking other ships due to where he could land to resupply and all, but he always made sure he was prepared for an attack on his own ship.

After all, why raid other ships when he could just raid the one that thought it could defeat Bloodshed and his crew.  There were enough idiots out there with gold in their ships that he could go for months without having to attack another ship first.

And this time looked like a big haul.  They had only just started and there were already loads of gold and important looking documents being hauled up.

Primus, if this was just stuff floating around on the wrecks of the now torn-up deck, then this ship had to have been hauling something more valuable around.

"Check below the deck before they go under!" He shouted.  Hopefully anything expensive or even more important than what they were getting so far was still up here and not at the bottom of the ocean already.

"Man, this guy was an idiot."

The captain turned to Novabomb, one of his oldest friends, who was sitting on their ship's railing watching the crew haul in the losing ship's cargo.

"He had all this to carry and he couldn't even do that.  Did you see the way he shat himself when he realized he couldn't match our cannons?"

Bloodshed sighed before nodding in agreement.  It had been a stupid move by that Navy captain; he could't remember ever meeting any Navy captain or commander who choose to fight rather than run with precious cargo being transported on their ship.

Oh well. He supposed there were a lot of people who wanted to become heros or whatever. Had the captain been to defeat him and his crew and successfully arrest him, the guy would have been had songs written about him. Of course, that didn't matter now, especially the guy was probably somewhere sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 

"He didn't think it through."

"Well duh. You're the infamous Captain Bloodshed, Monster of the Seas! You think the name would make people just a teeny bit more cautious about approaching you."

Bloodshed rolled his eyes at the nickname. He had no idea how that even came about. He had just heard it in passing one day while at some town a long while ago. Nebula had been the one to look more into it. Apparently, it was just a title he had been given by sailors and somehow the name had gotten around and he was stuck with it. 

What a horrible name... It did come with its benefits though, he had to admit. Most people did leave him alone and backed down rather quickly, which made things less of a hassle for him. He was never a fan with dealing with people, so at least the name drove most of the annoying ones away. Of course, you had dipshits like this last captain trying to take him down and end up getting killed for wasting his time with stupid wannabe hero bullshit. 

"Well, he wasn't."

"And now he's dead~~~ Silly bastard."

Bloodshed huffed and turned away from the other, who got up onto the railing and started walking across it, balancing himself perfectly as he begun to whistle. The captain could see that his crew had gotten most of the good stuff from under the deck. Some of it he might keep, depending on what it was. Otherwise, he would just sell it. It wasn't like he had much of a use for it anyway... Not to mention sometimes the shit they came across was just way too garish. Seriously, who the hell wanted some of that crap?

"We got it all, Captain!"

"Nothing left behind?"

"Just what's already below the water and some wet books and maps. Not much use for them."

Damn it, why didn't his crew put any value on the books? He seriously needed to start telling his crew to grab books if they saw them. Just because they didn't like to read didn't mean he didn't. 

He took a quick glance over some of the haul. A lot of it they could sell, but it didn't look like they could profit off of it much. It was valuable, but nothing you couldn't get elsewhere. Maybe some of the trinkets and jewelry, otherwise not much. And he did see a small trunk filled with dresses... That should have been worth a pretty penny, depending on the fabric's quality. 

"Hey!"

He looked over his shoulder to see Nebula by the wheel, obviously bored with just standing there and leaning against it.

"Can we go now? It's hot as hell and I'm getting bored here."

Bloodshed rolled his eyes. But she had a point. No use just sitting around when they already got everything they could salvage from the wreck. 

"Once you all get the loot secured down below, back to your stations!" he ordered, heading back to the wheel. "We're heading on East."

The crew did as their captain ordered, scurrying around the deck. Except for Novabomb, who was still standing on the rails. But he was no longer whistling and had this blank look on his face with his lips pushed out. He seemed to be staring at something, but Bloodshed wasn't sure what. 

He approached him. "Nova?"

"Hmmm~?"

"What're you doing?"

The younger man didn't say anything at first. Instead, he stretched out his hand and pointed to what looked like a small rowboat floating on top of the water. "There's a girl in there."

"What?"  Bloodshed came over to the side to look at where Nova was pointing.

Sure enough, there was a girl in the rowboat floating around the wrecked ship.  And from the looks of her outfit, she was not some kitchen wench or a young female officer.

That would explain the dresses and why the cargo seemed off.  But then another thought came to mind.

"He had a civilian on board and he attacked us."

Novabomb turned to him with confusion in his eyes.  "Wha-?"

"Stop the boat!"

Hands that were once getting a ship going soon doubled back to bring the ship to a full stop again.

"What the hell?"

"Get the ropes!"

Yelling filled his ears, but Bloodshed didn't care for that.  No, what had his thoughts so focused on the girl was that he realized just how much of a fool this Navy captain was.

Transporting not only important cargo, but also escorting a young governess as well?  What was this fool thinking attacking him when he was supposed to be protecting this young woman?!  Did they not teach anything about escorting or transporting precious cargo in the British Army?

Clearly the King was letting too many legend-chasing idiots into his army.  Their morale most have been at an all-time low if they let this brainless idiot transport someone's daughter across pirate-infested waters.

Still, while it would be much to accommodate the young woman, at least there was some payoff on this idiot's reckless attack, Bloodshed thought as he watched his men lasso the end of the boat and begin to pull it in. Ransom money was usually pretty big. And if the girl were indeed a governess, she would be worth a lot of gold. 

The rowboat tapped the side of his ship.  Peering down, Bloodshed noticed that the girl wasn't moving.  And from what he could tell, she wasn't cowering or trying to hide.

"Get me a rope."

"Sir?" one of the men who pulled the boat asked.

"She's unconscious. Someone has to get her."

They didn't say else after that, getting a rope for him.  After tying it to the side of the boat, Bloodshed slowly worked his way down the side of his ship and slowly stepped into the lifeboat. The girl didn't move and he wondered for a moment if she was dead. He kneeled down next to her and pressed two fingers against the side of her neck.

Good; not dead. The last thing he wanted to do was have to throw the poor girl into the ocean. It wasn't her fault that the captain tried to be a hero... But because of his stupid delusions of grandeur, she was now going to be his chance to get a damn good payday. 

He turned her over to look at her face, which made him stop for a moment. The pirate couldn't understand it at first. Somehow, the young woman looked... familiar. Very familiar. But he was certain he didn't know her. There was no way he could have; he didn't know any governesses or any daughters of people of importance. He would have remembered someone like that.

So why? Why did he feel like he knew this woman? The more he thought about, the more frustrated he became. Bloodshed closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think long and hard about it. Where had he seen her? Why would he think she was so familiar? Maybe she just looked like someone he knew? But if that was the case, then who did she look like? Fuck... 

"Bloodshed?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at Novabomb, who just looked at him with a blank expression.

"Did she die?"

"No... No, she's alive."

"Oh. Then hurry up!"

Bloodshed frowned at that, which just made his friend smile brightly before he started whistling. Giving a heavy huff, he turned back to the girl and gently lifted her up. Primus, she was so small and light. Almost like a doll... And that other captain thought it would be a good idea to attack a pirate ship with someone this defenseless? Fuck, the British Navy had definitely lost it.

As he lifted her up, he caught a glimpse of her heart-shaped locket. There was a small engraving on the metal and he wasn't sure why he decided to read it, but he did. Squinting his eyes, he saw in little cursive letters: For you, Thornstriker, my dearest sister.

Thorn... Thornstriker.  Wait, he had heard that name before-

It suddenly came to him like a hit over the head.  The smells of rotten fish heads and alcohol.  His pants dirty and wet from sitting down and crying all over them.  A hand as small as his being held out in front of him.  Silk and lace brushing against his cheek.  The hand holding his and saying sweet things to help him calm down.

A beautiful, sweet, and kindly girl who helped him find his way back to his father's ship.  A girl he promised to see again and promised to protect should he ever find her out on the sea once he got his own boat.

And they had parted, giving each other their names.  His was Bloodshed and hers was-

"Oi!"

Bloodshed snapped out of his thoughts when a boot hit him over the head.

"Will you hurry up?  Don't want any of the idiot's friends showing up to try and get their glory like this last one!"

Novabomb's chatter broke him out of his trance.  Giving the young woman in his arms one last look, he carefully adjusted her in his arms before he began climbing up the side of his ship.

Novabomb helped get her on the ship as he got on board, still looking at her with wide eyes.

"Hey Bloodshed!" Nebula called out from the wheel.  "Where should we go next?"

Bloodshed finally turned away from the young woman to Nebula before he looked back at the unconscious woman.  Yes, they would have to head somewhere, but where?

They were heading North and that would be the best option if they wanted to ransom the young governess.  But North meant more Navy ships and more of a chance of a better captain and crew taking them down.

But South, heck, even East in this case, would be better.  There were more ports they could dock at, better places to sell their seized cargo, and over safer than up North.

It wasn't the best place to make a ransom.  You usually did that close to their home, where their family would be more than willing to pay whatever you asked if it meant less publicity over a captured hostage, especially if it was an only heir or even a young maiden.

Bloodshed knew she wasn't the only child, but there was a good chance she was still a maiden and still worth something.  Still, he knew going South could mean there was little chance of a ransom being as successful as it would be going North.

Her value would matter as long as she was with them.  The longer she remained with them and far away from her family and ladies, the more possible the probability would be that she would not longer be a maiden by the time she was returned.

Bloodshed knew virtue and purity was important to a woman as much as it was to her family.  Neither he nor any of his men (less they face his wrath and the bottom of the ocean attached to an old cannon) would harm a defenseless woman (Nebula didn't count because she could take care of herself) upon his ship. And he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, regardless whether or not she was worth any money.

"Take us South," the captain ordered, turning away from her. "We can get better deals for the cargo there."

"What about the ransom?"

Bloodshed didn't reply, which just made Nebula sigh and roll her eyes as she got back behind the wheel. Everyone else disperses and headed back to their stations while Novabomb moved to adjust the girl in his arms. But he was surprised when Bloodshed took her from him and wasn't sure how to react at first. Normally he was the one who took care of any hostages.

"Uh... Bloodshed?"

"I'll take her to my quarters," he murmured softly. "Just leave her to me... And bring the trunk with the dresses it in to my room."

Novabomb didn't say anything as he watched his captain take the girl to his room. All right, that was... weird. Something was definitely strange about this. Normally, whenever there were women on board, Bloodshed didn't really care or pay attention to them. Unless they expressed interest in sharing his bed and he took them up on their offers without much thought. And he never let any hostage stay in his quarters... They were always locked up in the rooms down below. 

He would definitely ask about it later. And he knew he wasn't the only one wondering what was going on.  

But for now, he would just do as the captain ordered. 

* * *

Bloodshed gently laid the young woman down onto his bed, making sure she was in a comfortable enough position to rest properly. Primus, to think that he could have killed her in that attack… A cold shiver went down his spine as his stomach turned. He didn’t want to even think about it.

He stretched a hand up to her cheek, stroking the soft skin. He could still remember the promise they had made to each other as children. The promise that shouldn't have meant much and should have just been a child's imagination running wild. Where he had promised to become big and strong and protect her when they were both adults. It had always been on his mind and he had always intended to keep that promise, even if it did seem foolish and stupid. 

And now... Here she was. With him again. Though technically she was his hostage and someone his crew thought he would use for ransom.

He pulled his hand away as he stared down at her. Ransom... That had been the idea. To use her to get a handsome sum of money for her release. And he would get a lot out of her. It was easy to tell she came from money - all he had to do was look at the material used for her dresses and her hand-crafted jewelry. And he could there wasn't a ring on her finger. She was not married. She was still a maiden. She would have been worth gold.

His hands balled into a fist. He just... There was no way he could let her go. Not after hoping to find her again after so long. Not after finally bringing her onto his ship. He just wanted to protect her. To care for her. To provide for her.

And to love her more than anyone else ever could. 

If he could have his way, he would marry her right now. But he doubted Thornstriker even remembered him. It was so long ago... And she probably wouldn't remember some little pirate brat. She would only recognize him as Captain Bloodshed, Monster of the Seas. She would be terrified of him. Maybe she would even hate him. 

Even though it was true, he just couldn't bring himself to even think about letting her go.  He had already ordered them to head South.  If he tried to change his mind, he would look weak in front of the crew.  He kept his reputation and their trust by making decisions that he didn't second guess.

Going North would mean going through with the ransom.  And once she was back with her family, he doubt he would ever see her again.  There was no way they would ever let her out of sight again lest her purity being threatened again.  And most likely once they hide away the kidnapping and possible taint of her purity, they would marry her off as soon as possible.  And then he would never see her again, knowing that whatever man she was married to would keep her close so as not to risk their pretty, virgin wife being defiled by anyone other than them. 

Bloodshed didn't want that. He couldn't stand the idea of her being owned by someone else. Someone who would not treat her well. Who would only see her as some sort of pretty possession that they would use and abuse for their own personal satisfaction. 

Leaning down, the pirate planted a soft kiss to her forehead. Even if she hated and feared him, he would never let her go. He would protect her until his dying breath and keep her safe from anyone who wished her harm. 

He had promised to protect her. And protect her he would.

 

END


End file.
